The redevelopment was to include an increase in lettable floor area and mall space, improvement of amenities, increases in car parking and provision of key pedestrian links within the complex. The vision was to create a world-class retail facility to meet future retail demands and strengthen its position as the landmark retail and entertainment destination for the Gold Coast region.
Electrolight and TDLD saw an opportunity to work in collaboration on this unique project, offering a valuable alternative which presented the ‘best of both worlds’ – two creative teams with knowledge of both the design team and the local site context. This, in addition to our combined experience and skills, set the platform for a inspired, cohesive and coordinated delivery.
The concept looked to create a shopping centre experience which reflected the big personality of the Gold Coast, creating a bright and airy coastal shopping experience by day, and a theatrical and spirited immersive experience by night.
First impression was crucial, as the main ceremonial entry off Hooker Blvd took shape as a grand statement with bold street-side signage and over-scaled awning drawing visitors to toward the Resort Precinct. On approach, the structured landscape takes shape as lighting begins to guide visitors into the central precinct, encircled by the ‘Super-Roof’, a sculptured shade structure cantilevered above the surrounding two-level retail façade. Our lighting design vision was to allow the organic structures to become luminous and alive, allowing light to breath through the minimal built forms and vast structural spans. The Resort Precinct below was to present as a natural but ethereal landscape, filled with magical flowing streams, winding paths and grassy relaxation hubs to soak up the atmosphere.
Beyond the Resort Precinct, a series of mall entries guide shoppers to the business end of the centre, with each presenting a unique character for the pending retail experience. A combination of single and double-height malls, some with extensive sky-lights, stretch from east to west. The lighting retains a refined and integrated aesthetic, layering illumination in a fresh and natural fashion, allowing the shop-fronts to be the hero. Accents to columns and seating hubs give a texture to the illumination, while hanging light sculptures fill the doubleheight voids. At the western end, the Fresh Food Market required a twist in character to a more relaxed and urban feel. Warmer finishes, green planting, warmer lighting and feature luminaires create a more homely environment.
To the south of the Resort Precinct is the ‘Gone With The Wind Stair’, looping up to the Café Court, a lively open-air ‘Hamptons-vibe’ dining hall overlooking the precinct landscape below. The lighting concept was to enhance the natural light and outdoor feel during the day, and help create a welcoming coastal resort terrace atmosphere at night – with a series of feature luminaire and a layering of illumination to the dining area and vaulted ceilings above.
The shear volume and scale of built forms presented significant challenges for the design team. Electrolight and TDLD worked closely with the Scentre Group creative team to apply a series of creative and technical design solutions to bring about a cohesive language of illumination throughout the centre. The lighting approach and application was critical for a united style, yet at the same time the establishment of a variety of distinctive characters for each space.
The facades provide a hint of colour and activity through feature lighting as a precursor to the pending experience. Subtle layering of the main components, structures, trees, lowplanting and brand signage, together with a strategic hierarchy, guide visitors to the main entries.
The heart of the centre is the Resort Precinct, where a series of sinuous linear light details accentuate the void openings and extended architectural forms, providing soft ‘fill’ illumination. Minimal downlighting provides increased luminance to the perimeter and retail shop-front zones. Our goal was to create an open precinct within this space which felt illuminated by it’s surrounding environment, not requiring direct lighting from above like you would tend to expect from a public plaza or stadium. A number of low-level lighting strategies work at the human level, highlighting the landscape features and water-bodies.
These provide a series of magical moments of discovery and relief throughout the journey. Above, the Super-Roof presents a ceremonial blend of theatre and enchantment. A series of centrally controlled DMX nodes combine to create a visual display, indirectly illuminating the EFTE fabric and silhouetting the form of the structure. A series of graphical scenes are applied allowing the roof to transform the personality of the entire precinct from a tranquil forest environment to a series of rolling blue waves.
The lighting throughout the internal malls and food courts combine a series of lighting techniques tuned to the character of each retail offering. Careful luminaire selection, quality control, colour consistency and finessed detailing provide a result which feels refined and assimilated with the interiors. Lighting controls are kept simple with a central control system combining both switched and dimmable channels as necessary, automated and time-clock controlled for ultimate functionality and efficiency.
